Spring Cleaning: 5 Ways to Clear Your Mind Clutter

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Kerri Nelson, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Spring is here and whether or not you get into spring cleaning, this is always a time of renewal and growth and new beginnings.

I’m all about decluttering the house. Sometimes I finish the area of focus and sometimes I get distracted.

Sometimes, I get tired of it or feel overwhelmed. Or, the kids and hubby come in and immediately clutter up the space that I’ve just cleaned. And, I sigh heavily and feel like giving up. Why do it in the first place? Why expend the energy just to get frustrated?

The thing is…my house might not ever be perfect. But I’ve developed a program that keeps it pretty close. And, I’ve also been working diligently for the past few years to learn how to declutter my mind. This is something that only I control.

Once, my father told me that no one controls how you respond or react to a situation other than yourself. At the time, I was young and questioned his wisdom. Of course someone can affect my mind. They can hurt my feelings, insult me, make me doubt myself. Right?

I mean, people do this all the time, don’t they?

A negative comment here. A sideways glance there. A disapproving tone of voice.

The thing is…I think my father was right. We can’t control other people (one of the toughest lessons to learn in life). But we can control our reactions and responses to situations.

The way to declutter your mind of negative thoughts and feelings is a work in progress. You probably won’t ever be perfect at it (just like your home will never be totally perfect). But I’ve come up with some suggested ways that you might work towards a happier, more peaceful outlook that will leave your mind feeling “less messy” than normal.

Stop negative self-talk.
We are all guilty of this at some point. I’ve even heard my own kids say, “no one likes me” or “I look fat” and they’ve only learned to say it because they’ve heard others say it. I’ll admit that I’m not happy with my body shape a lot of the time. But projecting that out loud only goes to convince myself of the negative thoughts. What I should be doing is finding things about my body that I love and appreciating that instead. #LoveMe

Reward yourself for good behavior.
We often reward our children and our pets for good behavior, don’t we? I know I probably reward my children too often (according to my husband). I even give the cats treats just because they look adorable. But how often do we reward ourselves? It doesn’t have to be a big reward (like a new car—but wouldn’t that be nice?). It could be a new lipstick or an extra-long bubble bath. A new book or a picnic for one in the park. Just something that makes us feel good. If only for a few minutes. Reward yourself once a week for good behavior. #TreatMe

Learn to journal.
Even if you’re not comfortable writing, you can learn to journal out your thoughts and feelings. If you don’t want to put it down on paper, type it on your computer instead. Just spend as little as 10 or 15 minutes a day spilling out your hopes, dreams, frustrations, fears and whatever else is on your mind. You’ll be amazed at how dumping this out will help to clear your mind and refresh your brain cells. A lot of people have started making gratitude journals. Taking time to write about what you’re grateful for can be a reminder that the little things that go wrong in life are often not that bad after all. #WriteMe

Take a quiet moment.
Now, these are hard to find. Especially if we have children, quiet moments are few and far between. Very often, even my quiet moments in the shower are interrupted by kids who need something right this minute. I’ve asked them not to bother me unless someone is bleeding or has broken a bone, but they still come knocking anyway. So, where to find this quiet moment just to breathe? I like to take a moment in my car. After dropping the kids off from school or before picking them up, I’ll just sit in the car and close my eyes. Deep breaths. A quiet moment. Wherever you can be alone. No noise. Just for 3 to 5 minutes. Total silence. Try it and see. #ShushMe

Walk or Nap.
I’m not a great napper. But I know a lot of people who say that a power nap is the perfect remedy for a busy mind. Sometimes it works for me, but if I can find the quiet time—I’ll often slip into too long of a nap making it difficult to get up. Then I feel sluggish for the rest of the day and productivity decreases. So, I can’t say that it works for me. But it is a valid option. Instead of napping, when I feel like my brain will explode from all the clutter, I’ll head out and take a walk. The fresh air, the nature sounds, the blood flowing through my body as I huff and puff along. That totally clears my mind. If the weather is bad, I put on soft music or nature sounds in my earbuds and walk inside the house. Just the movement can be brain clearing. #RefreshMe

So, these are all ways to help spring clean your mind. And they work all year round. And, the best part is that you control it. It’s not something that the kids or hubby can walk in and mess up—unless you allow them to.

You are in control of your mind. You can work to keep it clutter free. Release the negative. Learn to appreciate yourself. Spill out your worries. Take a deep breath. And know, that you are truly amazing!

Happily yours,

Kerri